Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-06-11
State Fish Commissioners.

AT the meeting of the State Fish Com
missioners in San Francisco yesterday,
Messrs. Reuter- and Sherwood present. J.
w. Village, Chief of Patrol, reported the
capture and conviction at Benicia of a
Chinaman who had been catching and sell
ing young fish contrary to law. He was
fined $50, which he paid
petition of fishermen, asking for a
change in the size of the mesh of nets from
q to d inches, was received, and, on mo-
ton, laid on the table. The Board took
the ground that it had no authority to grant
this request, and that the law in this regard
could only be changed by the Legislature.
j. w. Village, Chief Of Patrol, reported
having made a recent visit to Monterey
Bay, and reports that the catching-in fact
the destruction-of small fish, in plain vio-
lation of the law, is appalling More than
100 Cinnamon are camped there, and are
using nets as small as can be made.
hlinnow an inch in length could not
squeeze through the netred obstruction.
They fish with hooks and with lines two
miles Ill length. baited and hooked. with
protruding, sharply finished wire in the
line of fish travel to catch everything COM
ing in and going out of the bay. Forty
boats are seining with small nets, and drag
ging the patrol lines. There is Chinese
colony ashore drying the fish as commercial
product for shipment to Asia.
The Italian and Portuguese fishers are
| said to be violating the law in taking small
fish, but they are not as rapacious as the
Chinese. They have more respect for law.
but the example of violation is leading
them to extremes. Some of the best
salmon, pampino, turbot, barracuda. shad.
Gods and many other fish of the best va
riety, also great whales, come into Mon
| terey annually FROM the ocean to get the
flavor OF fresh water. No bay in the ex-
plored world is better stocked with good
| fish than the bay that makes delightful
aquariums along the pine-clad coast of
| Pacific Grove. The catching of whales and
| large fish is not restricted, but the law was
made to give the young fish a chance to
| live when escaping from the natural periIs
OF the piratical fish that subsist on the
young and weak of their own tribe.
1t was reported to Mr. Village that mat
| tiers were even worse on Austin creek and
other tributaries of the Russian river. One
of the members of the Midsummer High
Jinks Committee of the Bohemian Club.
who was out exploring for camping place
stated that the Chinese had actually
damned the streams, so as to deprive the
| fish below of water. and then gathered
| them from the depleted water course with
| their hands and threw them into the
baskets. Everything, big and little. was
taken from the grandest pools of the
streams in the depths of the redwoods.
Violation of law is reported from Sissons.
Mrs. Fellows, lady who owns consider
able property in that region and tai es an
active interest in measures to preserve fish.
as she catches many herself, says the mill
men are dumping sawdust in the streams
and destroying the trout or driving them
away. The Chinese, however, can do
nothing in darnming these streams as they
can the sluggish and slow current creeks
Of the bottom lands. The rushing torrents.
replenished constantly from the reservoir
of eternal SHOWS above the cloud lines of
Mount Shasta, resist sny obstruction to the
flow of water. Places must be made for
the waters to emerge in order TO protect the
railroad. Still, the saw-mill men can do
harm by throwing debris of bark and saw
DUST in the streams.
At the afternoon session of the Board,
John Richardson was made Deputy Fish
Commissioner, with authority TO act as
chief Of patrol in the absence of J. W.
Village.